CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) CAS-004 Cert Guide

Book Preface

The CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) certification is a popular certification for those in the security field. Although many vendor-specific networking certifications are popular in the industry, the CompTIA CASP+ certification is unique in that it is vendor neutral. The CompTIA CASP+ certification often acts as a stepping-stone to more specialized and vendor-specific certifications, such as those offered by ISC2.

In the CompTIA CASP+ exam, the topics are structured so that they can apply to many security devices and technologies, regardless of vendor. Although the CompTIA CASP+ is vendor neutral, devices and technologies are implemented by multiple independent vendors. In that light, several of the examples associated with this book use particular vendors’ configurations and technologies. More detailed training regarding a specific vendor’s software and hardware can be found in books and training specific to that vendor.

Goals and Methods

The goal of this book is to assist you in learning and understanding the technologies covered in the CASP+ CAS-004 blueprint from CompTIA and help prepare you to pass the CAS-004 version of the CompTIA CASP+ exam.
To aid you in mastering and understanding the CASP + certification objectives, this book provides the following tools:

Opening topics list: This list defines the topics that are covered in the chapter.
Key Topics icons: These icons indicate important figures, tables, and lists of information that you need to know for the exam. They are sprinkled throughout each chapter and are summarized in table format at the end of each chapter.

Memory tables: These can be found on the companion website and in Appendix B, “Memory Tables,” and Appendix C, “Memory Tables Answer Key.” Use them to help memorize important information.
Key terms: Key terms without definitions are listed at the end of each chapter. Write down the definition of each term and check your work against the Glossary.

For current information about the CompTIA CASP+ certification exam, visit https://www.comptia.org/certifications/comptia-advanced-security-practitioner
Who Should Read This Book?
This book is for readers who want to acquire additional certifications beyond the CASP+ certification (for example, the CISSP certification and beyond). The book is designed in such a way to offer easy transition to future certification studies.
Strategies for Exam Preparation
Read the chapters in this book, jotting down notes with key concepts or configurations on a separate notepad.
Download the current list of exam objectives by submitting a form at https://www.comptia.org/training/resources/exam-objectives
Use the practice exams, available through Pearson Test Prep. As you work through the practice exams, note the areas where you lack confidence and review those concepts. After you review these areas, work through the practice exam a second time and rate your skills.
After you work through a practice exam a second time and feel confident with your skills, schedule the real CompTIA CASP+ exam (CAS-004). The following website provides information about registering for the exam: www.pearsonvue.com/comptia/.
CompTIA CASP+ Exam Topics
Table 1 lists general exam topics (objectives) and specific topics under each general topic (subobjectives) for the CompTIA CASP+ CAS-004 exam.

This table lists the primary chapter in which each exam topic is covered. Note that many objectives and subobjectives are interrelated and are addressed in multiple chapters.

How This Book Is Organized
Although this book could be read cover-to-cover, it is designed to be flexible and allow you to easily move between chapters and sections of chapters to cover just the material that you need more work with. However, if you do intend to read all the chapters, the order in the book is an excellent sequence to use.
In addition to the 28 main chapters, this book includes tools to help you verify that you are prepared to take the exam. The companion website also includes flash cards and memory tables that you can work through to verify your knowledge of the subject matter.